Karpoff



Aug. 18, v1959 D. KARPOFF 2,899,985

wEAvING P1 METHOD FABRIC FLOOR COVERINGS W PILE CONTA NG LOOPS AND TUFTS Original Filed Oct. 23, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet l fm m FIG. l

INVENToR.

D. KARPOFFv Aug. 18, 1959 2,899,985 METHOD 0F wEAvING PILE FABRIC FLOOR covERINGs WITH PILE CONTAINING LOOPS AND TUFTS Original Filed Oct. 23, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 METHOD F WEAVING PILE FABRIC FLOOR COVERINGS WITH PILE CONTAINING LOOPS AND TUFTS David Karpotf, Amsterdam, N.Y., assignor to Mohasco Industries, Inc., Amsterdam, NX., a corporation of New York Original application October 23, 1957, Serial No. 691,934, now Patent No. 2,884,020, dated April 28, 1959. Divided and this application October 2, 1958, Serial No. 764,859

7 Claims. (Cl. 139-39) This invention relates to the production of pile fabrics of the type used as floor coverings and comprising a backing of stutter warps and weft shots in upper and lower series bound against the stuffer warps by chain warps and a pile made of pile warps having portions bound in the backing and other portions rising from the backing as pile elements. More particularly, the invention is concerned with a novel method for making a pile fabric of the type referred to, in which the pile is made up of a novel combination of single and oat loops and tuft legs resulting from the cutting of loops. The loops and tuftrlegs are aligned transversely of the fabric and may vary in height, so that attractive and unusual surface effects in the pile.

are obtained.

In weaving the fabric by the new method, a pile wire loom is employed and a set of wires is provided, vin which the odd wires are cutting wires and thereven wires are non-cutting and wavy, that is, of varying height from end to end. The wavy wires are of such form and arrangement that the high spots on each wire are out of registry with such spots on the adjacent wires and, preferably,`

the cutting wires are of a height not substantially greater than that of the low spots on the wavy wires. The pile yarns are arranged in two groups with the yarns of the groups intermingled and, ordinarily, the yarns of the two groups alternate across the fabric. The pile yarns of the two groups are differently manipulated in the weaving operation and the yarns of one group are bound beneath successive independent pairs of weft shots along the fabric and rise between adjacent independent pairs of adjacent weft shots to form single pile loops lying in transverse rows and varying in height along the rows. The pile yarns of the second group are bound beneath alternate weft shots and rise to pass over the intermediate weft shots, so that, during the weaving and before the pile wires have been withdrawn, each yarn of the second group lies above both cutting and non-cutting wires. As the wires beneath a raised portion of a yarn of the second group are withdrawn, the cutting wire may cut the yarn or leave it uncut depending upon the height of the wavy wire, over which the yarn passes. The yarns of the second group thus form both oat loops and tuft legsl in the same transverse row and the oat loops vary in height along the rows.

For a betterY understanding of the invention, reference may be made to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. l is a diagrammatic exploded perspective view of the fabric produced by the method of the invention;

Fig. Z is a view in elevation of four pairs of wires forming part of the set of wires used in weaving the fabric;

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic longitudinal sectional view showing a pile yarn of one group raised over thev wires shown in Fig. 2 along the line 3--3 in that figure; and

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, showing a pile yarn of the second group raised over the wires shown in Fig. 2 along the line 4-'4 in that figure.

The fabric shown in the drawings is one woven by the method of the invention and it includes a backing made up of stuifer warps 11, weft shots 12, 13in upper ICC and lower series, respectively, above and below the stutter warps, and binder or chain warps 14, 15 in two sets binding the weft shots against the stuer warps. The binder chains are arranged in pairs in the fabric with each pair made up of a chain of each set and the stuier warps lie in groups between adjacent pairs of binder chains. In the fabric illustrated, there are four stuifer warps in each group but the number may vary, as desired.

The pile yarns are arranged in two groups, which are intermingled and, ordinarily, the yarns of the two groups alternate across the fabric. The pile yarns of one groupl are typified by the yarn 16 and these yarns are bound beneath alternate weft shots 12 ofthe upper series and pass over the intermediate weft shots. Thus, in Fig. 3, the yarn 16 is bound beneath the odd weft shots of the upper series counting from the left, and pass over the even weft shots. The pile yarns of the second group are typied by the yarn 17 and these yarns are bound be- .neath successive independent pairs of adjacent weft shots of the upper series and rise to form loops between adjacent independent pairs of adjacent weft shots. Accordingly, in Fig. 4, the yarn 17 is bound beneath the rst two upper weft shots, the third and fourth upper weft shots, the fifth and sixth upper weft shots, etc., and rises between the adjacent independent pairs, that is, between the pair made up of lirst and second shots and the pair made up of the third and fourth shots, etc.

The method of the invention is carried out on a pile wire loom, in which the set of Wires used includes both cutting wires and wavy non-cutting wires. The wavy wires used are similar in shape, but are so formed that, in the set of wires, the high spots on each wavy wire lie out of registry With the high spots on the adjacent wavy wires. In forming the set for use in a loom, the cutting and wavy wires are arranged in alternation, so that the odd wires in the set are cutting wires and the even wires are wavy wires or vice versa. The cutting wires have a height approximately equal to the height of the low spots on the wavy wires.

fabric are shown in Fig. 2, in which the wires 18, 19, 20,V

and 21 are cutting wires of uniform height throughout the portion of their length, which is to lie within the shed. At the ends of the wires which trail during withdrawal of the wires from the fabric, the wires carry knives of conventional construction marked 18a, 19a, 20a, 21a, respectively. The wavy wires 22, 23, 24, 25 are similar in the length and shape of their high spots and of the low sections connecting the high spots, but differ in the disposition of the high spots along the length of the wires. The four wires 22-25, incl., constitute a sub-set and the wavy wires next following the wire 25 in the main set is of the same construction as the wire 22. The low spots, such as the spot 22a on wire 22, are of the same height as the cutting wires 18, while the high spots, such as the spot 22h, are substantially higher. Each high spot has a sloping surface, such as the surface 22C, which lies at the leading end of the high spot, when the wire is being withdrawn, while the trailing end of each high spot is vertical.

The new method of weaving involves carrying out repeated weaving cycles, in each of which is formed a rst shed, in which the pile yarns 16 are in the upper line, the chain warps 15 are in the lower line, and the remaining warp yarns lie an intermediate substantially horizontal position. A cutting wire is then inserted in the upper part of the shed and a lower weft shot 13 is simultaneously inserted into the lower part of the shed. The wire and weft shot are beaten up and a second shed is formed, in which the chain warps 14 and the pile yarns 16 are in the upper line, and all the remaining warp yarns are in the lower line. An upper weft shot 3 12 is inserted in the second shed and beaten up to complete the cycle. When the rst shed of the second cycle is formed, the warp yarns 16, 17 of both groups lie in theupper line, thechain warps 14 are in the lower line, and all the remaining yanns extend substantially horizontal.'r The wireV inserted into the upper part of this Y shed is` aV wavy wire and pile yarns 16, 17 pass over both low` and high spots thereon.

The remaining odd weaving cycles are like the first in that, in the first shed of each cycle, in which a cutting Wire is to be inserted, the pile yarns 16 are raised while the pile yarns 17 remain substantially horizontal. The remaining even cycles are like the second in that, in the first shed, into which a wavy wirel is to be inserted, the pile yarns 16, 17 of both groups are raised to'pass over the wire.

When all the wires in the set have been inserted, the first cutting wire 18V is withdrawn and inserted in the first shed in the next cycle. In the withdrawal of the Wire, its knife passes freely beneath pile yarns 16, which are raised over' high spots of the following wavy wire 22, but cuts yarn 16, which pass over spots on the wavy wire, which are lower than the upper end of the knife. As a result, the withdrawal of a cutting wire severs certain of the yarns 16 to form tuftl legs, but does not out the remaining yarns 16.

Withdrawal of the wavy wire 22 leaves pile loops of yarns 16, which have not been severed bythe withdrawal of the knife wire 18 and other loops formed of yarns 17. In the withdrawal of the wire 22, the high spots on the Wire must pass through-all the loops of yarn raised over the Wire and, as a result, the loops of yarns 17 raised over loW spots 22a on the wire Vare increased to the height of the high spots. The yarn. required to increase the height ofthe low loops to convert them to high loops is obtained by robbing loops in'the preceding row in the fabric, and, as a result, the loops of yarn 17 in the finished fabric vary in length along a row raised over a wire and the height of these loops corresponds to the height of the parts of the following wavy wire, over` which the yarns making up the loopsV are raised. The Withdrawal of the wavy lwire has little effect on loops of yarn 16, since those loops are made of yarns, which Were raised over the high spots of the wavy wire or-over high portions of the sloping surfaces thereon.

The fabric shown in Fig. l was' produced in twelve weaving cycles, in which the wires shown in Fig. 2 were employed. The pile elements in the fabric are of the kind andform produced by withdrawal ofra complete sub-setof wires as shown in Fig. 2 plus the wires 1S, 22 of the second sub-set. the third and fourth wires 19, 23 of the second sub-set,

In the fabric of Fig. l, the pile elements in the firstY row comprise high loops 26, 27 of yarns 16, 17, respectively, with the loops 26 bound beneath upperweft shots 28, 30 and passing over the intermediate weft shot 29.

The `yarns forming loops V27 are bound beneath upper weft `shots 28, 29, raised between weft shots 29, 36, and bound beneath weft shots 30, 31. The loopV 32 is made of a yarn 26 and it is lower than loops 26,V 27 becauseof having had yarn robbed therefrom in orderrto produce a Vloop of maximum height of thersame yarn in the following row, The loop 33 of yarn 17 has'been similarly `reduced in height by having had yarn robbed therefrom. Y

The tuft leg 34 is formed of a yarn 26, which was raised over the cutting Wire 18 and over a low spot'on the adjacentV wavy wire 22. Upon withdrawal of the cutting wire, the loop of yarn was severed to formthe short tuft leg 34 extending from the weft shot 28 to the top of the cutting wire and the longer tuft leg 35 formed of .the yarn extending from the top of the wire 1S over the wire 22 to the weft shot 3?. The tuft legs 36 were formed in the same way as tuft leg 35, but the loops cut to form them were raised-over lower spots on the Wire f of stufferwarps by chainwarps and pile warps in two 22, so that the legs 36 are shorter than the leg 35. In the fabric illustrated, the shape of the wavy wires is such that each twenty-four pile yarns across the fabric form loops and tuft legs in an arrangement, which is repeated elsewhere throughout the pile. Thus, starting at the left in the rst row of the fabric shown in Fig. l, there are six high loops, two loops of successively lower height, and three pairs of loops each made up of a high loop and a loop of lowest height. Next, there are five tuft legs followed byV respective loops, the first tuftV leg being higher than the others, which are Yof uniform height, and the rst two loops being of lowest height and the last three of maximum height. The same sequence of high and low Vloops and highV and low tuft legs can be found in every row, although the sequences are out of phase because the wavy wires are out of registry.

-In the production of fabric by the new method, the relative proportions of loops and tuft legs ,in the pile of the fabric depend on the form and arrangement of the wavy Wires and the height of the` cutting wires used in the weaving'operation and various effects `can be obtained by proper selection of the wires. if more tufts are desired,

f for example, cutting wires with higher knives may be used or wavy wires with longerlow spots may be employed. 25`

Other possible variations in the pile of the fabric will be-apparent and, in all instances, the presence in the pileY of the float and single loops and the tuft legs gives the fabric an interesting and attractive surface appearance.

This application is a division of my co-pending application, Ser. No. 691,934, tiled October 23, 1957, now Patent No. 2,884,020.

I claim:

1. In`the production of a pile fabric having weft shots in upper and1owerseries bound against opposite sides groups .intermingled across the fabric and having portions rising above Vthe upper weft shots to form the elements of a` pile and other portions bound under weft shots, the method comprising carrying out in repeated cycles the steps of forming a shed, inserting a pile wire into the shed above the stuffer warps and simultaneously inserting a lower weft shot into the shed, beating up the wire and lower weft shot, forming `a second shed, inserting an upper weft shot into the second shed, and beating up the upper weft shot, and, during the formation of the sheds,.manipulating the pile warps to cause the warps of one group. to be raised over successive independent pairs Y of'adjacentwires and the warps of the second group to The wires shown within the fabric are Y be raised over alternate wires and to pass beneath inter,- mediate wires. Y

2. The method of claim l, in which the alternate wiresV are cutting Wires andthe intermediate wires are noncutting wires varying in height along their length.

3. The method of claim 2, in which the non-cutting wires are lso arranged that the high spots on each such Wire lie opposite the low spots on the non-cutting wires on either side of it.

4. The method of claim 2, in which each cutting wire `has a height less than the Vmaximum height of the non-V cutting wires. Y

5. The-method of clairnZ, in which each cutting wire has `a' height substantially equal to the minimum height of thenon-cutting wires.

6. -The method of claim 2, in which the leading wire in each of-saiclV independent pairs of adjacentwires is a cutting Wire and the trailing Wire is a non-cutting wire'. varying in' height alongpits length.

7. The method, of claim 6, in which the warps of the second group are raised over the`non-cutting wires.

VReferences Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES iArENrsV Y IParlin Aug. 10, 1954 Janney et al. Sept. 24, 1957 

